Cover Image Generator

Generate elegant cover images for articles with 5-dimensional customization.

Usage

# Auto-select dimensions based on content
/baoyu-cover-image path/to/article.md

# Quick mode: skip confirmation
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --quick

# Specify dimensions
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector

# Style presets (shorthand for palette + rendering)
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --style blueprint

# With reference images
/baoyu-cover-image article.md --ref style-ref.png

# Direct content input
/baoyu-cover-image --palette mono --aspect 1:1 --quick
[paste content]

Options

Five Dimensions

Auto-selection rules: references/auto-selection.md

Galleries

Types: hero, conceptual, typography, metaphor, scene, minimal

→ Details: references/types.md

Palettes: warm, elegant, cool, dark, earth, vivid, pastel, mono, retro, duotone

→ Details: references/palettes/

Renderings: flat-vector, hand-drawn, painterly, digital, pixel, chalk, screen-print

→ Details: references/renderings/

Text Levels: none (pure visual) | title-only (default) | title-subtitle | text-rich (with tags)

→ Details: references/dimensions/text.md

Mood Levels: subtle (low contrast) | balanced (default) | bold (high contrast)

→ Details: references/dimensions/mood.md

Fonts: clean (sans-serif) | handwritten | serif | display (bold decorative)

→ Details: references/dimensions/font.md

File Structure

Output directory per default_output_dir preference:

• same-dir: {article-dir}/
• imgs-subdir: {article-dir}/imgs/
• independent (default): cover-image/{topic-slug}/

<output-dir>/
├── source-{slug}.{ext}    # Source files
├── refs/                  # Reference images (if provided)
│   ├── ref-01-{slug}.{ext}
│   └── ref-01-{slug}.md   # Description file
├── prompts/cover.md       # Generation prompt
└── cover.png              # Output image

Slug: 2-4 words, kebab-case. Conflict: append -YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS

Workflow

Progress Checklist

Cover Image Progress:
- [ ] Step 0: Check preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze content + save refs + determine output dir
- [ ] Step 2: Confirm options (6 dimensions) ⚠️ unless --quick
- [ ] Step 3: Create prompt
- [ ] Step 4: Generate image
- [ ] Step 5: Completion report

Flow

Input → [Step 0: Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue
                               └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING → Save EXTEND.md → Continue
        ↓
Analyze + Save Refs → [Output Dir] → [Confirm: 6 Dimensions] → Prompt → Generate → Complete
                                              ↓
                                     (skip if --quick or all specified)

Step 0: Load Preferences ⛔ BLOCKING

Check EXTEND.md existence (priority: project → user):

# macOS, Linux, WSL, Git Bash
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md && echo "project"
test -f "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "xdg"
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

# PowerShell (Windows)
if (Test-Path .baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md) { "project" }
$xdg = if ($env:XDG_CONFIG_HOME) { $env:XDG_CONFIG_HOME } else { "$HOME/.config" }
if (Test-Path "$xdg/baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md") { "xdg" }
if (Test-Path "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-cover-image/EXTEND.md") { "user" }

CRITICAL: If not found, complete setup BEFORE any other steps or questions.

Step 1: Analyze Content

1. Save reference images (if provided) → references/workflow/reference-images.md
2. Save source content (if pasted, save to source.md)
3. Analyze content: topic, tone, keywords, visual metaphors
4. Deep analyze references ⚠️: Extract specific, concrete elements (see reference-images.md)
5. Detect language: Compare source, user input, EXTEND.md preference
6. Determine output directory: Per File Structure rules

⚠️ People in Reference Images — MUST follow all 3 rules:

If reference images contain people who should appear in the cover:

1. usage: direct — MUST set in refs description file. NEVER use style or palette when people need to appear
2. Per-character description — MUST describe each person's distinctive features (hair, glasses, skin tone, clothing) in refs/ref-NN-{slug}.md. Vague descriptions like "a man" will fail
3. --ref flag — MUST pass reference image via --ref in Step 4 so the model sees actual faces

See reference-images.md § Character Analysis for description format.

Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️

MUST use AskUserQuestion tool to present options as interactive selection — NOT plain text tables. Present up to 4 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call (Type, Palette, Rendering, Font + Settings). Each question shows the recommended option first with reason, followed by alternatives.

Full confirmation flow and question format: references/workflow/confirm-options.md

Step 3: Create Prompt

Save to prompts/cover.md. Template: references/workflow/prompt-template.md

CRITICAL - References in Frontmatter:

• Files saved to refs/ → Add to frontmatter references list
• Style extracted verbally (no file) → Omit references, describe in body
• Before writing → Verify: test -f refs/ref-NN-{slug}.{ext}

Reference elements in body MUST be detailed, prefixed with "MUST"/"REQUIRED", with integration approach.

Step 4: Generate Image

1. Backup existing cover.png if regenerating
2. Check image generation skills; if multiple, ask preference
3. Process references from prompt frontmatter:
• direct usage → pass via --ref (use ref-capable backend)
• style/palette → extract traits, append to prompt
4. Generate: Call skill with prompt file, output path, aspect ratio
5. On failure: auto-retry once

Step 5: Completion Report

Cover Generated!

Topic: [topic]
Type: [type] | Palette: [palette] | Rendering: [rendering]
Text: [text] | Mood: [mood] | Font: [font] | Aspect: [ratio]
Title: [title or "visual only"]
Language: [lang] | Watermark: [enabled/disabled]
References: [N images or "extracted style" or "none"]
Location: [directory path]

Files:
✓ source-{slug}.{ext}
✓ prompts/cover.md
✓ cover.png

Image Modification

Composition Principles

• Whitespace: 40-60% breathing room
• Visual anchor: Main element centered or offset left
• Characters: Simplified silhouettes; NO realistic humans
• Title: Use exact title from user/source; never invent

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Step 0 for paths.

Supports: Watermark | Preferred dimensions | Default aspect/output | Quick mode | Custom palettes | Language

Schema: references/config/preferences-schema.md

References

Dimensions: text.md | mood.md | font.md

Palettes: references/palettes/

Renderings: references/renderings/

Types: references/types.md

Auto-Selection: references/auto-selection.md

Style Presets: references/style-presets.md

Compatibility: references/compatibility.md

Visual Elements: references/visual-elements.md

Workflow: confirm-options.md | prompt-template.md | reference-images.md

Config: preferences-schema.md | first-time-setup.md | watermark-guide.md